Courts

Man jailed over ‘egregious’ sexual behaviour on Dart and at train stations

Tony Guilloteau (32) was living in Ireland studying English in 2020 when he engaged in a campaign of targeting young women

Guilloteau (32) exposed himself to some women on the Dart and sexually assaulted others on the street, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard. File photograph: Bryan O’Brien
Isabel Hayes
Eimear Dodd
Wed Jul 31 2024 - 18:21

A sex offender who was extradited to Ireland from France after he sexually assaulted and exposed himself to a number of young women on Dart carriages and near train stations has been jailed for 3½ years.

Tony Guilloteau (32) was living in Ireland studying English in 2020 when he engaged in a campaign of targeting young women, exposing himself to them on the Dart and sexually assaulting others on the street, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard.

In the case of his youngest victim, who was aged 17 at the time, Guilloteau sat across from her on the train, exposed and masturbated himself before approaching her and ejaculating on the aisle, with semen landing just a few centimetres from the girl’s leg.

She was “frozen” during the incident, which took place at around 3pm in the afternoon, Garda Martin Byrne told Tessa White BL, prosecuting, at an earlier sentence hearing.

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Guilloteau, formerly of Sutton Park, Sutton, Co Dublin, pleaded guilty to four counts of sexual assault and two counts of engaging in offensive behaviour of a sexual nature on dates between February 13th and March 11th 2020. He left Ireland for France just before the Covid pandemic lockdown and went on to commit similar offences in France, the court heard.

He has three previous convictions arising from those offences and served an 18-month sentence in the community in France wearing an ankle tag, the court heard.

He was questioned in relation to the Irish charges in La Rochelle in France in 2021 and extradited to Ireland last February. He has been in custody since his extradition.

Imposing sentence on Wednesday, Judge Orla Crowe said it is an aggravating feature of the case that there are five victims who were “young women out and about in Dublin city, minding their own business when they were subjected to this behaviour”.

She said these incidents must have been “distressing and terrifying” for the victims. The judge noted there was a range of offending by Guilloteau over the five-week period, some of which were “less serious in nature”, but all were very serious in terms of impact on the victims.

The judge said the young women “had the right to move about on their own in the day or night” without being subjected to Guilloteau’s “egregious” behaviour.

Judge Crowe said the court had taken into account the guilty plea, expressions of remorse, the mitigation and Guilloteau’s personal circumstances.

She backdated the 3½-year sentence to January 30th last when Guilloteau went into custody.

Gda Byrne told the court that a week after exposing himself to the teenager on the Dart, Guilloteau sexually assaulted a 21-year-old woman at Howth Junction Dart Station by coming up behind her as she was walking to a platform and pinching her buttocks.

He then stood in front of her, blocking her way and staring at her until another couple of women came to her aid, and he left the scene. This incident also took place during the day.

In the third incident another week later, a 22-year-old woman had just got off a Dart at Bayside station and was walking down the street when Guilloteau came behind her and “poked” her in the buttocks in a quick jabbing motion, the court heard.

When the woman asked him what he was doing, he asked her if she was “high” before leaving the scene. She was in fear for her life as a result of the assault, the court heard.

Later that same night, Guilloteau boarded a northbound Dart and exposed himself to a 26-year-old woman on the train. He stood in the aisle, masturbating himself in front of her as she screamed and fled to another carriage. She alerted two security guards in another carriage, but they were unable to find Guilloteau. The woman reported the matter to gardaí that night.

In the final incident, an 18-year-old woman had just got off a Dart at Bayside station and was walking down the street when Guilloteau pinched her buttock. She shouted at him, and he walked away.

Investigating gardaí gathered footage from Irish Rail in relation to a number of the incidents. Four victim impact statements were handed into court but not read out.

When interviewed, Guilloteau made full admissions in relation to the Irish incidents.

In a letter of apology handed into court, he said he was “so sad, so ashamed” and so disappointed in himself. “Things were complicated for me on a psychological level,” he said, adding that he has been seeing a psychologist for four years now.

James Dwyer SC, defending, said Guilloteau had a difficult childhood and was brought up by his grandmother after his mother left when he was eight years old. He has worked in digital marketing and quality control jobs, the court heard.